Antitoxin for fatigue and process of making the same.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVOLFGANG VVEICHARDT, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

ANTITOXIN FOR FATIGUE AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906 Application filed January 18, 1904. Serial No.189.489. (Specimens) T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WOLFGANG WEIoH- ARDT, doctor of medicine, a subjectof the- German Emperor, residing at Berlin, Germany, (whosepost-ofliceaddress is 114 Lutherstrasse, Berlin, Germany,) have invented anhntltoxin for Fatigue and Process of Makmg the Same, (for which I haveapplied for a patent in Germany on the 6th day of February, 1903,) ofwhich the following is a specification.

I have discovered as a result of numerous experiments that fatigue ofthe human and animal body (not being exhaustion) is produced by certaintoxic substances which are hardly traceable in the normal (unfatigued)organism, but which are always and in considerable quantity found in thefatigued organism. Their existence may be proved by means ofexperiments, for it was found that animals injected with sterile muscleplasm taken from strongly-fatigued animals of the same kind became tiredor sleepy and that they died after a period of twenty to forty hours,while animals treated in the same manner with the same quantity ofmuscle plasm from unfatigued animals did not become tired and remainedalive. These toxins of fatigue, like all poisons produced directly fromthe living protoplasm, cannot be accurately characterized by theirchemical composition. They will not pass through an ordinary dialyzer,which is probably due to their large molecular structure. They will notresist heating and become inactive after two hours when heated to only56 centigrade. The toxins of fatigue are saturated or rendered harmlessby antitoxins produced in the organs of the body when at rest, chieflydurin normal sleep. In the blood, which is the vehicle of the antitoxin,an appreciable quantity of toxins of fatigue is only found in cases ofextreme fatigue.

My process consists in the production of compounds or pharmaceuticalpreparations which contain the antitoxins mentioned above, andconsequently have the effect when introduced into the fatigued body orhuman organism that the same recovers its normal condition in acomparatively short time without requiring any sleep. For this purposemuscular fatigue is induced in horses or other suitable animals,preferably up to the commencement of yawning fits or spasms, after whichthey are bled to deprive the muscles of blood, the muscles are cut out,while taking rigid aseptic precautions, after which they are maintainedat a temperature of about 37 centigrade for several hours, then poundedin a sterilized mortar. Then the muscle pulp thus obtained is pressedand relieved of superfluous liquid in a press which has been previouslysterilized. Suitable liquids, such as blood serum or a physiologicalsolution of table-salt, may be added to and mixed with the muscle pastebefore it is pressed. Instead of muscle plasm, blood plasm, or plasmfrom other organs, or excretions or secretions of the fatigued animals,such as their milk, may be used, inasmuch as the said organs or productslikewise contain the toxin. The plasm thus obtained is filtered throughearthenware filters and injected into small animals, such as guinea pigsor mice, to test it as regards the quantity of toxins of fatiguecontained in the plasm. If the quantityis found sufficient, the plasm isrepeatedly injected into suitable animals such as rabbits, goats, andhorses-for obtaining the antitoxin. After a short time the materialsconstituting the organs of the animals thus treated or the products ofthe same, such as their milk, and especially the blood serum, which iscomparatively rich in antitoxins adapted to rapidly neutralize or renderharmless the toxins of fatigue, are suitable for use in an appropriateform by introducing them into the alimentary circulation of the humanbodyfor instance, as an injecting liquid, or (because rb antitoxins passthe stomach and intestines Without decomposition) as an addition toenemas, or as an admixture to articles of food or stimulants, or in theshape of pills, tabloids, or similar preparations.

The antitoxin, which like the toxin cannot be accurately characterizedby its chemical composition, is less subject to change than the toxin.For instance, it penetrates through the walls of the stomach withoutexperiencing any material reduction of its efficiency.

As mentioned before, the blood is the seat of the antitoxins andnormally possesses a certain quantity of antitoxins which are capable ofsaturating the toxins of fatigue. Consequently the process may bemodified by using blood serum or plasm obtained from unfati ued animalsdirectly for neutralizing or rendering harmless the toxins offatiguethat is to say, by directly introducing such serum or plasm in asuitable form into the fatigued organism.

What I claim is 1. The process for obtaining a substance adapted toneutralize and render inoperative the toxin arising in the humanorganism in cases of fatigue, which consists in producing in animalsintense fati ue, obtaining from the same toxin accumulated in theirorganism in consequence of fatigue, by removing constituent partscontaining the toxin, injecting the said toxin into other animals andsubsequently abstracting suitable parts of their organism, substantiallyas described.

2. The process for obtaining a substance adapted to neutralize or renderinoperative the toxin arising in the human body in cases of fatigue,which consists in producing in animals intense muscular fatigue,obtaining from the same toxin accumulated in their organism inconsequence of fatigue, by removing organic plasm from the animal,injecting the said toxin into other animals and subsequently abstractingsuitable liquid products of their organism, substantially as described.

3. The process for obtaining a substance adapted to neutralize andrender inoperative the toxin arising in the human body in cases offatigue, which consists in producing muscular fatigue in animals,bleeding the fatigued animals, taking muscular tissues from the same,maintaining it at about 37 centigrade for several hours, grinding it topulp, pressing out superfluous liquid, filtering the plasm thusobtained, injecting it into suitable animals, and allowing it to act,then bleeding the animals thus treated and extracting the serum from theblood thus obtained, substantially as described.

4. As a new substance, a pharmaceutical preparation containing anantitoxin against the poisons arising in the human and animal organismin cases of fatigue, which preparation consists of the concentratedserum of animals treated with toxins of fatigue taken from the fatiguedanimals and which has the property of neutralizing or destroying thesetoxins, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have signed this sp eci-' fication in the presenceof'two subscribing

